Broken War
by box whisker
Summary: The body is finite but the soul is forever, even if he didn't want it to be. The old Wizard failed for centuries trying to complete his impossible task. In his desperation he latched onto the soul of a being that defied fate and held great power. He hoped that he would be the key to humanity's salvation. But he truly did not understand the will power of this soul that wanted rest.


**I saw the last two seasons of Rwby again. A lot of good things and a lot of bad things. A lot things could have been done better but I still enjoy the show and I think Monty's work is still great and has room to play around with. So, I wrote this.**

**The boy in the tree**

Ozpin was stricken with grief as he watched the young man with the golden flame aura float motionless, suspended in the air. Behind him, a portal of pure energy raged menacingly as it slowly siphoned the life out of him. He closed his eyes tightly and suppressed the tears that threaten to slip from his eyes. Not far from him Salem stood with a firm face watching as the young man spent what was sure to be his last moments on this land. But if you looked deeper into her eyes you could see another hidden emotion.

Ozpin knew this moment would come. The young man had told him his energy and soul were still tethered to his own world, and one day his time would run out. Yet he couldn't hold back the suppressed tears that finally fell down his cheeks. He hated this, he hated himself. He thought about all the time the young man spent here. The hope and strength that he delivered to the people of remnant. He did things that he only thought the gods were capable of doing. He also thought about how the kind young man named Naruto changed. He thought he would never be the same again. Not unless he became whole again.

That day had finally come, he had become whole again. But it didn't matter he was dying. His soul would return to where it belonged. But not him. He would remain here for eternity, hopelessly trying to stop the great evil that was Salem. He was the only one who knew what was at stake for humanity if he failed. The wrath of the brother gods would be unforgiving and permanent.

Small dark orbs circled the young man. They seemed small and benign but he knew the power each orb held. The orbs started to glow and break down as they lost their jet-black color and started to fade to a dull grey. The final orb was situated behind him and was shaped as a shakujo staff. The top of the staff was a large circular ring. Attached to that ring were four smaller rings. He knew this weapon held more power than the other orbs as it was made up of multiple orbs.

After a moment all the orbs were suctioned into the portal until only the staff remained. The staff started to glow and he knew this was his moment to act. He unlatched a heavy scroll on his back and threw it at his feet. The scroll unrolled revealing an elaborate sealing had copied them perfect and his blood was already smeared over the ink symbols on the scroll. He had prepared for this day. He reached for his weapon and pointed it towards the staff. A beam of green magic shot out and attached itself to the staff and pulled it towards him.

"What are you doing!" Salem screamed in alarm.

"I'm doing what I must!" Ozpin yelled.

Salem was not sure what Ozpin was doing. Whatever type of spell Ozpin was attempting, she could not allow him to complete it. She raised her hand sent a blast of her energy at him.

Ozpin responded by conjuring a green magic shield around himself, blocking Salem's attack. He channeled more magic into the scroll and into his weapon, pulling with all his might. His body felt like it was being torn apart as he strained to keep up the barrier while simultaneously trying to capture the energy from the staff. He knew Salem's power was stronger than his. The shield would fail but he needed just a little more time...

He screamed as he released all the magic his body could give. The magic barrier started cracking and was about to shatter. The enormous amount energy from the three individuals caused the ground to shake and the sky to turn dark. Storm clouds started to form in the sky above. The energy increased and exploded, a white blinding light engulfed all of them.

* * *

He opened his eyes only to close them as a blinding white light attacked his iris. He felt the heat of the light wash over him and he began to sweat. He tried to move but his body was unresponsive. His limbs felt heavy and restricted by some unseen force. Panic began to set in as he continued to try and force his body to move, but was met with the same result.

The heat continued to rise and became overwhelming. He was afraid he would be burned alive. Slowly the overpowering heat started to compress and spun around him. It fluctuated and slowly began to regress to a simmer.

His eyelids twitched, afraid to open despite the heat giving way to warmth. After a moment he felt the warmth disperse, replaced with thick cool air. The sensation of the rapid change of temperature made him shiver. He felt strange, his body trying to make sense of the rapid changes. He slowly opened his eyes; the blinding light was gone replaced with darkness.

Complete darkness.

He strained to move his head, glancing left and right but he couldn't see anything but the surrounding darkness. Fear seep into him as his mind tried to make sense of the emptiness around him.

_'Where__ was he__?'_

_'Why__ couldn't he move his body__?'_

He started panicking, his breathing speed up and his heart beat increased. The air around him starting shifting once again. Quickly becoming less and less dense. Then suddenly he felt the warmth return, coating his body once again.

Then he felt it.

An excruciating pain in stomach. It burned like a molten hot blade piercing into his skin. He let out an agonizing scream but he could not hear his own voice. The pain then shifted to his left arm, then right arm, and all over his body. The torture continued for several minutes and he was sure this empty void was going to be his final resting place. He had no dying wishes or any thoughts of final goodbyes. His mind and body knew only despair and the most primal sensation of the body.

Pain

The pain slowly started to dull and after a moment it completely vanished. He jolted forward, his head bending low towards the ground. The invisible noose around his neck fell to pieces and he felt the clutches of deaths hands release its hold on his throat.

His eyes were wide and his body trembled in freight. A new sensation started to fill his body. He didn't know what it was only that it didn't hurt and it was a far cry from the burning he felt only moments ago.

His body continued to shake until it settled into the slightest of tremors. He his body final stood still, and it was then that he knew what this knew sensation was.

Power.

He could only describe it as pure power. He felt his body growing stronger every second. The energy grew and he felt it in his skin, his muscles, his bones, and his very soul. It felt as if he was being reborn anew.

The burning fire that engulfed him, breathed into him a new life. A new but familiar soul into the world.

The black void around him started shrinking and a small crack formed in the center of his view. Light shined threw the crack, a streak forming on his face. The crack grew larger, casting shadows. He squinted and realized it was sunlight shining through the darkness.

He heard voices but they were to muffled to make out. A new sense of drive filled him and he thrashed against the binds that entrapped his limbs. The restraints were now powerless against his new-found strength. He pulled with all his might, his muscles straining until he heard a snap. His limbs were now free. The crack grew large enough that he could see through the other side.

There he saw the outside world. The blue of the sky and green of the trees.

He looked down and saw that his restraints were thick tree branches that had entangled around his wrist and ankles.

He heard the voices again but they were clearer and louder now.

"Over here! I heard screaming coming from this direction!"

"You two scout the perimeter for grimm while we check it out!"

A man and a woman's voice, he identified by the tone. He frowned, a foreboding feeling forming in his gut. He didn't know who these people were. They could be dangerous. He didn't even know where he was or how he got here. His mind struggled to find answers but no matter how hard he tried, the answers escaped him.

He was about to rise to his feet but froze when he heard footsteps approaching far quicker than he anticipated. He raised his head, it was too late, they were here. The man and the woman.

They both stared at him with what looked to him as shock and disbelief.

"Shiro, you seeing what I'm seeing?" The woman asked her partner.

The man named Shiro shook his head. "If you mean the glowing tree, then yes, I haven't lost my mind Heather."

Before them stood a large Mistralian oak tree. Its trunk stretched at least twelve feet across the ground. Thick dark brown branches protruding in all directions. It was quite the tree, but its size was not what made them pause. It was the blue light that was emanating from the tree. A dark blue hue, that pulsed in quick intervals like some kind of beacon.

Shiro looked at the surroundings trees with missing limbs and broken bark. Some of the branches sported clean cuts, while others seemed have been shredded. He knelt down and felt the ash resting atop scorched grass. He looked around and noted that the scorched turf extended at least thirty feet from the tree.

_'Could this be a dust explosion?'_

"There is someone inside the tree!" Heather called out.

He looked back to the tree and to his surprise Heather was right. Through the crack in the tree he could make out someone moving inside. They must have miss it some how. Heather went to approach but Shiro stopped her. "Wait! We don't know if this thing will explode again and this person could be a hostile!"

Heather shook her head and pushed his arm away. "Shiro take a better look. It's just a little kid in there, we have to help him get out. Whatever is up with this tree, it's probably dangerous. We need get him out of there quickly!"

Before she made to move towards the tree, the boy pushed open the bark and stumbled out of the tree. He tried to walk but his legs wobbled with each step he took. As if he was a newborn fawn, taking its first steps. Then he suddenly he collapsed with a thud. He felt fatigued and any trace of the power he felt moments before had disappeared.

Quickly Heather was by his side, hosting him up. "Easy there kid, you don't want to hurt yourself." She slowly moved him back to where Shiro was standing.

"Can you walk on your own," she asked kindly. The boy didn't respond and tensed in her arms.

Seeing his apprehension, she tried reassure him. "Look it's okay were not going to hurt you. My name is Heather Shields and this is my partner Shiro Wan. We're huntsman from Mistrial. We were in the area completing a mission when we heard a loud sound and then screaming. It's okay, were here to help," Heather said earnestly.

The boy looked at her smiling face, then at Shiro who still seemed hesitant. "I... I can't walk, my legs feel too tired," he croaked out.

"Heh, if some tired legs are all you got after being near this explosion, count yourself lucky kid!" Shiro said gruffly.

_'Explosion?'_

The boy's face scrunched up. He didn't know what the man was talking about. He knew he was trapped but there was no explosion. Only till he took a better look around him that he noticed the destroyed landscape. The scorched earth and broken trees. But how? He didn't see any explosion.

Noticing his confused look, Shiro raised an eyebrow. "You didn't notice the explosion. But you were here, inside the glowing tree," he said pointing at the large tree. But when everyone looked at the tree it was no longer glowing.

"Former glowing tree anyway..." Shiro mumbled. He swore that the damn tree was glowing. He was too young to start losing his mind!

_'What the heck is going on here?'_

Heather didn't know what to think either, so instead focused on the only thing that she knew for sure, which was the fact they had an injured child sitting before them.

She checked him over for injuries. He had red scrapes around his ankles and wrist that were slightly bleeding. He looked fatigue but other than that he seemed not to have any other injury. At least that she could she.

"Kid how did you get inside that tree and why were you there?" Shiro asked him with a serious look on his face.

The boy frowned, remembering being trapped in the dark place. He shivered at the lingering feeling of what felt like being burned alive. He honestly had no idea how he ended up inside that tree.

Shiro sighed, the boy did not answer his question.

Heather decided to step in. "It's fine, maybe he doesn't want to talk about it right now. Let's start off with an easy question, what's your name?" She asked while wrapping his wounds with some medical bandages she was carrying in her pack.

"My name is...it's," the words tried to come out of his mouth but couldn't. Why couldn't he say it? His mind suddenly went blank. He brought his hands up to head and squeezed. To his fear, he realized he couldn't remember what his name was.

His gaze lowered to the ground. "I don't know," he whispered, his face full of fear and confusion.

Shiro and Heather shared a look. Heather frowned and Shiro sighed while palming his face.

"Great, he knows just as much as us. A bunch of nothing."

Heather shook her head. "Go easy on the kid, he probably hit his head. In any case we need to get him some medical attention Shiro."

Shiro sighed but nodded. "Alright hoist him on your back, I'll contact the others let them know were heading back to the town." He knew something was going on here and wanted to investigate the scene more. But for now, their hands were tied.

"Hey I carried the damn heavy supply pack all day! The least you could do his carry him back!" Heather protested.

Shiro gave an uninterested wave with his hand. "Your better at first aid then I am. Best you carry our injured patient just to be safe." And with that he made his way out of the clearing.

"Lazy bastard," she grumbled. 'J_ust wait, I'll get you back__,__'__ she thought menacingly.'_

With a sigh, she saddled the boy on her back and followed after her partner.

It had been two hours since they had found the mysterious boy inside the tree trunk. They had taken him to the nearest village for immediate care. That village happen to be the small village of Versai. The village did not have a lot of resources because its residences were stuck in poverty.

Shiro did know however that a distinguished doctor from Vale had recently moved to the village, intent on lending her talents to the less fortunate folks in Mistrial.

They walked through the dirt path streets of the village looking for the doctor's office. The buildings all looked similar, ash grey and were in bad shape. The villagers stared at them with curiosity and wariness. It was not often a village like this got visitors. They were susceptible to violence by bandits and other criminals just looking to cause trouble. They had reason to be wary. But they also received looks of concern, no doubt because of the injured child being carried on Heather's back. The people of Versai were cautious but not heartless. Heather was about to suggest asking one of the locals were the doctor lived when an older man with a cane approached them.

"You folks need some help? That boy on the young woman's back doesn't look so good."

"Yes, this boy needs medical attention. We need to see the doctor right away," Heather said.

"You must be talking about Dr Brigid, she's been a godsent for this town! She's even fixed my years of back pain!" said the cheerfully old man.

"Yes Dr Brigid, where is she," Shiro said impatiently.

Normally Heather would chastise her partner's manners but the kid did need to be seen by a doctor urgently.

"Just go five houses down and make a left, it's the house next to the tents."

Heather thanked the man and they made their way to the doctor. As they walked, she looked back at the boy on her back when she felt him start to shake. His body would continue to shake slightly every other step. She frowned, she had no clue what was wrong with him but hoped whatever it was, that it wasn't anything fatal.

They arrived at the doctor office and Shiro knocked on the door. It was a small grey home not unlike the other surrounding dwellings, but was easily recognizable as a medical facility by the red tape in the shape of a cross that was affixed on the door. Next to the house were large brown tents filled with metal crates.

The door opened and the pair were meet by a middle age woman with sandy blond hair and chestnut brown eyes. She immediately took note of the weapons they carried and eyed the two of them carefully.

"Can I help you two?" She asked calmly.

Heather turned her body half way, showing her the boy on her back.

"This child needs medical attention!"

Dr Brigid looked at the boy who was now whimpering in his sleep.

"Bring him inside now," she ordered, her demeanor shifting to a professional doctor instantly.

They followed her through the house passing through her living room and dining room. It came to no surprise to them that her clinic was an ordinary home given its location. She directed them to a back room that contained an examination bed in the middle.

The room was completely white and was filled with medical instruments and supplies. She ripped the sheet off the bed and quickly replaced it with a clean one. Heather gently placed him down on the bed and stepped back so the doctor could examine him.

"What happened to him?"

"We found him in the woods, he looked completely exhausted and had some bruising on his legs and arms. Soon after he suddenly collapsed, seemingly suffering some other injury. Maybe something internally?" Shiro explained. He did not mention the strange phenomenon of the glowing tree. He didn't think it would help any at the moment and would only add unnecessary confusion.

Dr Brigid quickly went to work checking his vitals. His temperature was high and hid blood pressure was slightly elevated. His body also lost a lot of fluid, the signs of dehydration were clear. She immediately connected him to an IV to get his fluids back to normal.

"So, the kids not going to kick the bucket, is he?" Shiro asked bluntly with a dull look on his face. Heather shook her head. Shiro was never was known for his tack.

Dr Brigid quirked her brow, "No he isn't in danger of dying right now, although it's good you brought him sooner rather than latter, or else things could get messy..."

She started gathering aura in her palm and ran it across the boy's body, an advance technique that could alert her to internal trauma in a person's body. It only gave a basic guide to an injury or illness; further examination and testing would be necessary if she found something.

"Do you have any idea what is wrong with him?" Heather asked, but her question when un answered when the doctor sucked in a breath, her eyes went wide.

"He's unlocked his aura," she said a questioning look on her face as she looked at the two huntsmen. But it wasn't a question, she could feel his aura connecting to hers when she ran her hand over his torso.

Shiro and Heather both looked equally perplexed. The kid looked young. He couldn't be older than seven years old. Maybe younger, he was so short and thin...

Unlocking aura at that young was extremely rare. Most people who were fortunate enough to unlock their aura during their childhood, usually unlock it between the ages of eleven and thirteen. Trying to get a child to unlock their aura at a really young age was frowned upon because the possibility of physical complications.

Aura levels were sometimes too high for a young child, whose body was not yet developed enough. Their small and weaker bodies had trouble containing their aura, causing the body to reject it. When that happened, bodily functions would slow down or stop. Alternatively, the body might try adjust to the change and instead increase bodily functions at an abnormal rate.

"Do you know the age of this child?" the doctor asked.

Heather shook her head "No when we found him in the woods, that was the first time we met him."

"I see."

Shiro stared at the boy, his shaking had since stop but he still looked sickly. Sweat pouring off his forehead. His skin was paler then when they found him.

"So the kids an early bloomer. I would hate to think someone had attempted to unlock this kids aura prematurely, but it's a possibility," Shiro said.

"Yes, but the how is not a concern for now. It seems to me his aura is the cause of his condition," Dr Brigid concluded while monitoring his vitals.

"His body is forcing itself to work harder to adjust to his aura, thus the increased heart rate and other symptoms."

She then noticed the lacerations on his wrist and ankles were smaller now. His aura was healing him really quickly.

She gathered aura in her palm and scanned his body once again. She connected her aura to his own intending to get a rough estimate of his aura level. She was astounded to find a large reserve hidden in this young boy.

If she had to guess his aura was nearly as large as her own. A child with aura comparable to a trained adult was defiantly not the norm. She also felt something different about his aura. She didn't know what is was but his aura felt different than any other she felt before in her practice. It flowed fast and wild like a rapid river. She then felt a pulse in her palm, his aura started to cling to her own. A green glow arose between her palm and the boy's torso.

She gasped and removed her hand. Shiro and Heather looked at her in confusion not sure what occurred.

The doctor shook off her stupor and walked over to a draw that contained various medications. She found the medication she was looking for and mentally started calculating the dosage based on the boy's size and weight. After a moment she filled a syringe with the substance and injected it into a vein in the boys left arm.

The boy's eyes opened slightly his vision dazed and confused. His mouth opened and he inhaled slowly before his eyes slowly closed once again.

"Aura suppression," She said, answering the question she knew would be asked by the two hunters.

She then began preparing a sedative to make sure his body relaxed while the suppressors took effect.

Heather was about to ask another question but the doctor held her hand up stopping her.

"Look I'm sure you have other questions, as do I about this young boy, but for now I need some space to clean his wounds and monitor him further.

Shiro put arm around Heather and turned her towards the door. "We understand, we'll get out of your way," he said.

Heather sighed but nodded and followed him out the door.

Doctor Brigid gave them a wave then turned her attention back to her newest patient. She looked him over and scratched her head. There were a lot of strange things going on with this kid and she could tell he was going to be a handful.

'_They always bring me the hard cases, don't they_?'

But she wasn't going to complain. Becoming a doctor and helping people was what she loved to do best.

She ran her finger through the boy's hair. "Don't worry you're going to be just fine in my care. I'm the best after all," she said giving him a gentle smile he couldn't see. With that thought in mind she went back to work cleaning his wounds.

**End**

**What did you guys think? Good, bad? Let me know and if this story gets good reviews, I will try to continue it. **


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